And So It Goes
by the fountain of dreams
Summary: AU. Tsumugu/Chisaki. Five times they fell in love - five lives, five worlds. / ("It's strange. I feel like we've met before." / "Maybe we have. Maybe we keep meeting over and over, in different lifetimes, and fall in love with each other every time.")
1. I - Dystopian

**A/N:** My first NnA multi-chapter! I didn't do much research for some of the AUs so I apologize in advance for any inconsistencies within the universe. Each chapter will be somewhat short because 1) it'll focus on one moment within the relationship, per universe and 2) I tend to be a minimalist with words and prefer to have certain things implied. In other words, I'm lazy.

One more thing: any character's OOCness can be attributed to the AU and the environment in which (s)he grew up in. I tried to keep the basic personality the same, but just warning you, there will be an inevitable shift in certain traits.

Hope you enjoy!

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I._ Dystopian_

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A loud, continuous beeping noise startles all the workers in the lab. Hayashi, their boss, a middle-aged bookish man with thin limbs and a slightly hooked nose, reaches out in his seat and clamps down on the alarm.

"Lunch time."

The relief is palpable. Everyone gathers their things and exits the lab in an orderly line. Tsumugu is the last to leave. He holds no paper bag or container; instead, he has a worn leather notebook and a tiny stub of a wooden pencil.

"Kihara, you workaholic," one of his co-workers jeers. Tsumugu doesn't reply, doesn't show that he pays any notice to the small sniggers and exaggerated sighs. He marches out of the grimy, monotonous cafeteria.

Only when he can breathe the gray fumes of the factory outside does he completely relax. He finds a rotting tree stump, the last vestige of what was once a beautiful village by the sea, and sits down on the pavement against it. He closes his eyes. He pretends that the stump is a magnificent oak. The crash of the waves he hears in the distance belongs to an ocean neither acidic nor toxic. No, the ocean is much grander than that: it holds more life forms in the palm of his hand than in the entirety of the sterile factory; the colors of the fish in the sea outshine the mayor's finest jewels; the small city in the sea thrives and glimmers.

Not anymore, of course. But, at least in his dreams, it does.

It's much smoggier than usual today. Tsumugu wheezes and coughs into his gray uniform sleeve. He presses the starchy fabric to his nose with one hand as he flips the pages of his notebook with the other.

Tsumugu tries not to breathe too deeply as he sketches the image of his imagined sea village on a fresh page. Even though the weather is terrible outside, he'd rather have lung cancer from overexposure to toxic fumes than stay another minute in an over-sanitized factory with subhuman co-workers and bright white strobe lights.

When the lunch break is over, he returns to the lab and continues his work. The greasy, nauseating stench of blended meat permeates the room. Tsumugu doesn't know which smell he hates more – his co-workers' breaths or the burning fumes outside.

When an alarm signals the end of the work day, Tsumugu folds his lab coat neatly, tucks it into his assigned cubby, and leaves without another word.

The small, deteriorating house he shares with his grandfather stands on a cliff by the sea. Tsumugu makes sure he wears his protective acid-resistant raincoat before he steps out of his car. Even with the coat, the sea spray stings his skin. He glances at the sky; there's a hurricane approaching. He quickly gathers tarp from the storage shed and hammers it down over his grandfather's small garden. By the time he enters the house, his skin is inflamed and bares tiny red bumps.

"Take a bath," his grandfather says from the kitchen. "I've prepared it."

Tsumugu complies. The clean water soothes his skin. By the time he's clean and dinner is ready, the red welts have mostly healed.

When he steps into the living room, he's greeted with a shock of purple hair.

"Oh!" it squeaks. "I'm sorry."

Tsumugu glances down. The purple hair belongs to a girl.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Hiradaira Chisaki. It's nice to meet you."

Tsumugu decides she's not trustworthy.

"Grandfather, who's this?"

"I found her lying outside our house this afternoon. She says she's from Shioshishio."

"The _sea_ village? The one that went silent hundreds of years ago, after a disastrous oil spill killed most of the fish and coral? _That_ sea village?"

"I was skeptical too. She'll explain it to you. For now, take a seat."

He reluctantly sits down and peers into his bowl of synthetic rice as he listens to the purple-haired girl and occasionally glances at his grandfather. Tsumugu can tell the old man trusts her from the lack of suspicious concern on his face. Not that that should mean much, really. His grandfather always has that expression, so it's hard to tell sometimes.

"It was the sea god," she says, and her eyes turn foggy as she recounts her memories. Tsumugu notices that her eyes are the same color of what he always imagined the sea to be: a light, clear, brilliant blue. "He's been dormant for centuries, but he's stirring from his sleep, and as a result, our village is waking up too."

"I thought the village has been dead for centuries. Ever since the waters became too toxic to live in."

Chisaki smiles wryly. "Not dead. Nearly, though. We've been hibernating."

"How can you breathe in those waters?"

"Before hibernation, the sea god cast a protective bubble of sorts around Shioshishio. It's kept the contaminated water from mixing with clean water. To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure how it works either, but I'm alive and that's testament to the sea god's powers."

"I… see." Tsumugu can't keep the skepticism out of his voice.

A sea god? Really? This is the _twenty-third_ century. Does she expect him to believe in deities?

What god lets a world fall apart like this?

"Anyway, over the next few weeks, most of us will be coming up. When I left the protective bubble to see the outside world, I couldn't believe how much garbage I was breathing in. By the time I made it to the nearest building, I passed out, but I'm okay now, thanks to your grandfather."

"Mm," says Tsumugu disbelievingly. He shares a look with his grandfather.

_Do you actually believe her?_

His grandfather glares. _Of course. Don't be rude._

Tsumugu stifles a sigh. "I'm assuming you'll be staying for the night?"

"If that's alright with you," she says, and she sounds uncertain. She can see the hostility in Tsumugu's gray eyes. She adds quickly, "But it's alright if you say no. I don't want to intrude."

"You won't be intruding," says Tsumugu's grandfather with a tone that nearly growls in finality. Tsumugu knows better than to argue and reluctantly gives a nod of assent. Hiradaira's face lights up. To his own surprise, Tsumugu's heart stutters. Her smile is so unnaturally genuine, so perfectly flawed, so unlike the modified faces of many of the girls in his village, that seeing such an honest face expression bewilders him.

"Thank you!" she says, and she gives a small bow of her head.

"Finish your dinner," says Tsumugu with a sigh that he doesn't bother to hide this time.

And throughout the meal, he notices her little mannerisms – the slight slouch in her spine as she eats, the tiny tip of her head to the left as she thinks, the piece of rice sticking to her lower lip left unnoticed – and begins to see that she's definitely not from the area, where precise, mechanical movements are ingrained into habit at an early age. Then, perhaps, she was telling the truth?

Little does Tsumugu know, life in the monotonous, factory-run village by the sea is about to get a lot more interesting.


	2. II - Victorian

**A/N: **This AU isn't exactly Victorian era England (which would be odd, considering that the NnA characters are Japanese), but it _is_ an alternate universe in which there are Victorian era _influences_. So, basically, the etiquette, culture, repression in society, dress, etc. are similar or the same; however, the politics and the locations involved are not spot on.

Enjoy!

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II. _Victorian_

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It's hard to believe it's only been five days since they've officially met.

But here they are, and her back is pressed against his chest with his arms wrapped around her torso as they watch the sky with eyes shrouded in dreams. He whispers something in her ear, and she flushes. The growing royal red in her face matches the majestic purple sheen in her hair, until she resembles one of those pink-faced, porcelain china dolls in the toy shop down at the plaza.

The night is breathless and breathtaking. The stars exude peace as their hearts pulse in harmony. An evening breeze ruffles their hair, until after a while, his inky strands can't be distinguished from hers.

"You know," Tsumugu murmurs, "at one point, your letters were the only things that kept me going."

Chisaki sighs softly. "It must have been incredibly difficult then."

"It was. I didn't know day from night sometimes. It was all a blur. But your letters – they kept me stable. Anchored."

"I'm glad," she says, and she leans into him even more. "And I'm extremely grateful we finally met."

"Mm," is all he says, but they both know he feels exactly the same.

They stay like that for a little while longer, until the sun is just about to rise. Then, they must part ways and sneak back to their respective homes unnoticed. Before they leave, he kisses her, lightly, chastely. And then, the beginning of the day signals the end of their time together.

The next time they meet, there is no secret balcony, no hidden passageway, no semblance of privacy or a quick getaway whatsoever. Instead, they don masks of gold and silver, but they can recognize each other across the room in a heartbeat, anonymity in this_ masquerade _be damned.

They circle each other; the corners and edges of the ballroom fade away like a vignette. Tsumugu can see Chisaki's bright aqua eyes crinkle, and he knows she's smiling behind her mask. Chisaki sees Tsumugu step toward her briskly, with renewed vigor in each step, and she muses she can feel the happiness radiating out of him, like eager, gentle sunlight.

When their hands meet, they smoothly follow the rhythm of the strings, and they dance until they are dizzy with bliss.

It's not proper, actually. A gentleman is supposed to ask the lady to dance, and she must graciously give him her permission, but they haven't exchanged any words, not yet, and their impropriety does not go unnoticed. Scandalized whispers and disappointed tuts scatter in the marble halls throughout the evening as the oblivious couple refuses to let go of each other and give another partner a try, which _is_, after all, the point of a masquerade.

Eventually, their feet grow sore and their throats parched. They decide to leave – the others can say whatever they like behind their backs, but they want to speak to each other and not have prattling eavesdroppers lurking around.

"My friends think I'm insane," Chisaki admits when they are finally free in the moonlight again.

"Are you?" Tsumugu inquires teasingly, and Chisaki swats his arm playfully.

"Perhaps," she says, giving him a thoughtful smile. "Four months ago, I would never have expected our letters to – well, to turn into _this._ Manaka is especially scandalized. You should see her face whenever I mention your name." She gives a soft laugh.

"I guess it is a bit irregular," Tsumugu muses as he interlaces his fingers with hers.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Tsumugu hesitates. Chisaki catches the almost inaudible intake of breath, and she gives him a questioning look.

"I was thinking," he begins. Then, a pause. "Do you think I ought to court you properly? Your parents don't know about us yet, and I want to make a good impression."

The tension in Chisaki's stomach eases. "It might be nice. Is your grandfather okay with us?"

"Yeah. His values are much more… liberal than the rest of society's."

"I'm glad. There's only one pair of adults to please now."

Tsumugu drops a kiss on her forehead.

"How shall we tell your parents how we met?"

"The truth?"

"Hm. Yes, that would go well. 'Good afternoon, sir and madam. I happen to be madly in love with your daughter. We officially met a couple of weeks ago, but our first meeting occurred when your daughter accidentally sent an embarrassingly private love letter to the wrong address. In fact, to the address of a depressed young man on the brink of leaving the country for good.' "

"Sarcasm isn't gentlemanly, Tsumugu," Chisaki chides, but with a sheepish smile. "Okay, so it's not the greatest idea to explain _everything_. But it'd be nice if they could finally meet you."

"Yeah."

He doesn't say anything more on the subject, but the next morning, he leaves a bouquet on her doorstep, along with a thick creamy card with his initials stamped on them, much to the surprise of Chisaki's parents.

Tsumugu is always the epitome of a courteous gentleman in front of them and in front of her friends, but when they're alone, he's all teasing words and sarcasm, the stiffness in his public gait relaxing into a comfortable slouch, into the quick-witted and dry Tsumugu that Chisaki fell in love with – the disinherited boy who sacrificed his inheritance to stay with his lonely grandfather; the quiet, soft-hearted boy who didn't know how to manage the troubled emotions left behind when one's future suddenly vanishes; the intelligent, quirky boy who wrote clever replies to her letters and always made her laugh, despite her broken heart over unrequited love, despite how he was probably feeling worse than she.

Once, Chisaki might have cared about how she looked in front of society, in front of everyone who _expects_ her to be mature and feminine and docile.

But Tsumugu sees beyond what she lets herself show, and she knows that she would give up all of society's _esteem_ if she can just be with him.


	3. III - Fantasy

**A/N:** Gender roles are reversed in this one. Enjoy!

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III. _Fantasy_

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She wears a dark indigo cloth below her eyes to mask the rest of her face. Her hair is tied neatly in a bun and tucked under a borrowed tricorn hat to hide its distinctive violet shade. The rest of her attire is not the usual regal robes of dark green and gold velvet. Instead, she wears a commoner's hunting garbs – a cotton tunic, tight-fitted pants, and muddy brown boots.

"My lady," says Manaka in a hushed whisper."We should be returning soon. The queen and king will be worried."

"It'll be fine," says Chisaki with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Say, Manaka, how are things with the squire? Was it Sakishima?"

Manaka blushes bright pink. "Yes. I'm thinking of proposing to Hikari soon. I get nervous just thinking about it, but when I imagine the face expression he'll have… oh, I can't wait!"

"Marriage already?" says Chisaki with a scowl. "But that would mean you'd have to start a family soon. Are you okay with that?"

Manaka's face expression softens at her friend's dubious tone.

"I know marriage must sound scary to you," she begins coaxingly, "but really, I don't think it'll be that bad."

"Not for you, maybe," says Chisaki with a sigh, "but I'm supposed to be the next Queen. Once I get married, I'll have to care for my husband and make sure that he's safe and happy, not to mention all my queenly _duties_ – I don't know where to begin on how much I'm not looking forward to meeting Prince Whatshisname."

Manaka only responds with a smile. Chisaki is usually a well-mannered princess and one of the most beloved in the queendom, but ever since the announcement of her engagement to Prince Tsumugu of the nearby realm, she's turned into quite the surly one.

"Is that why we're going on this hunting trip? To feel free while you can?"

Chisaki looks embarrassed. "I just don't want things to change. It's one of my deepest fears, actually. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night in cold terror because of one bad dream – the same one, too, where I'm queen and my husband and my people are unsatisfied with me and I'm – oh, it sounds silly, doesn't it?"

"No. Not silly," says Manaka as she shakes her head. "Not at all. It's understandable, actually."

Chisaki gives her friend a grateful smile. Only Manaka would be so empathetic.

When a wyvern passes over their heads, they urge their horses onward in pursuit of the white-winged creature. It darts from tree to tree with a few graceful beats of its veined wings, and Chisaki feels the excitement of the hunt surging through her veins. All her fears blur with the surrounding trees until she's focused solely on the elusive beast ahead.

Manaka follows closely behind but knows better than to get in her friend's way. Chisaki takes an arrow from the quiver strapped to her back, swiftly aligns it to the bow and aims. Her knees are the only things keeping her upright on the horse, and when she knows she has the perfect shot, she's about to let the arrow soar—

The wyvern is knocked to the ground just as she lets go of the arrow. It plunges into the canopy of the trees with a disappointing whizz.

She frowns and slows down her steed as they approach the creature. A small dagger, almost the length of her hand, is embedded through the wyvern's chest.

Chisaki inspects the dagger's handle. Her shrewd eyes widen as she recognizes the insignia carved into the polished wood.

As if summoned by her thoughts, the nearest cluster of shrubs rustles. The prince of the Upper Queendom emerges with leaves in his hair, wearing a maddeningly calm expression. Chisaki has seen his face in a painting the other realm had gifted them a long time ago, but she still feels a stab of doubt.

He bows, then shows her a ring with an emblem that confirms her worst fears.

"It's nice to meet you, princess."

Chisaki dazedly leads the three of them back to the castle. He rides behind her on her horse, his hands respectfully, lightly holding her waist for support. They are silent the entire trip; she doesn't know what to make of him because he's the prince of one of the largest Queendoms around, and he's arrived _alone_. No entourage. No horse.

In fact, by the time she introduces him to her parents and they all exchange polite greetings, Chisaki thinks that their meeting was almost… anticlimactic. She expected fanfares. Banners. At the very least, a celebratory dinner with the rest of the court.

But this? Not at all.

Chisaki is perplexed.

In fact, her curiosity bubbles through her the rest of the night, until by sunrise, Chisaki has only gotten a few hours of sleep and the only thought reverberating in her mind is, _Who in the _world _is this boy?_

Breakfast is yet a stiff affair. Her parents are trying to be welcoming, but even they are unsure of what to make of the prince. He's stand-offish. Extremely proper. Yet at the same time, so… peasant-ish. When a light fruit dessert is served, his eyes light up like a child's and he eagerly digs into his tangerine sorbet.

The Queen suggests (with a certain gleam in her eyes that makes it clear it is _not_ merely a request) that Chisaki take Tsumugu of a tour around the castle. Chisaki concedes, wincing when her voice comes out half-hearted, almost sullen.

If he notices, he doesn't show it. As she shows him the courtyards and the several halls and the staircases and the quarters and the servants' quarters and the endless number of miscellaneous rooms, he follows her dutifully, without speaking a word, only staring at her with startlingly intelligent eyes. The gray gaze makes her feel uncomfortable, though she tries to mask it with an obligatory smile. It pierces her, as if he's assessing her, as if he can see right through her.

When they make it to the Aqua Room, named so for its oceanic theme, Chisaki sees the prince's first real face expression. That is, _first,_ if one didn't count all his polite smiles and the patiently set line of his mouth.

His eyes widen, and his lips part fractionally. Then, they split into a genuine smile, all soft and gentle.

Chisaki finds it a little disconcerting.

"You like it?" she asks, a little unsurely.

"The room is beautiful," he says as he steps forward to observe the collection of seashells lined on shelves carved into the shape of the waves. "It reminds me of the place where I grew up."

"I didn't know the Kihara Palace was by the sea."

"It isn't." Tsumugu traces his fingers over the grooves of one of the shells and closes his eyes. "I grew up in an estate near a small village by the sea. I spent most of my childhood there with my grandfather."

"I see," says Chisaki softly. She often heard rumors that the Kiharas were a troubled family, that the eldest Kihara, Tsumugu's grandfather, had been banished from the main palace by his own daughter. From a tender age, Tsumugu had been sent to complete his education with him, which meant the crown prince probably knew close to nothing about the reigning Queen and King.

She wonders if that's why Tsumugu is so… different. Perhaps without the influence of nobility and the pressure of the queendom on his shoulders, he's grown to be independent and strong, in an almost solitary way.

"I know I'm probably not the first choice to be your fiancé," he says, turning to her, and Chisaki's pulse jumps as his eyes meet hers again. This time, his gaze is stormy and stubborn. "But my parents wanted to get rid of me as quickly as possible, and to tell you the truth, I don't want to go back to the palace either. I think it'd a good idea if we get used to each other."

Chisaki's cheeks color. Shame for her earlier actions floods her stomach. She hadn't _meant_ to be so off-putting.

"I'm sorry if I acted… distant before. It's just – I don't – I didn't like the idea of change. I didn't want anything to change. But you're a better person than I expected so I think that – that if it's you, I'll be okay."

She takes a deep breath before she continues. It's probably a good idea to get this out now rather than later.

"And, I know I'm running on borrowed time, but you have no idea – the _feeling_ that grips me sometimes – it's not quite dread for the future or even nostalgia for the past – but—"

"I know," Tsumugu interrupts. His sharp gaze is on her again. "You're going to be Queen. The transition won't be easy. There are duties – dragon-riding ceremonies, keeping peace with the fairies, gathering sorcerers; the list goes on. The pressure can be insurmountable. I understand. "

All of a sudden, tears prick her eyes. Maybe it's because he said the same thing Manaka told her, because the man she is supposed to spend the rest of her life with can understand her and, perhaps, accept her for who she is. She's not sure how she feels exactly, but it's relief and happiness and wistfulness wrapped all in one, tucked haphazardly in her ribcage - and, instinctively, she knows everything's going to be okay.

"Thank you," she says quietly, and she offers a true smile. "Thank you."


End file.
